UR for Men (2008)
by Usher

Notes: “Sea breeze,” nutmeg, basil, bay, artemisia, guaiac wood, Cashmeran, sandalwood.

The artificial fruit top note belongs in a deodorant stick or a cheap shampoo, not a personal fragrance. Waiting for UR to reveal any further depth or character is either a test of patience or an exercise in futility. If the former, I’ve failed.

All that emerge to accompany the nameless fake fruit are a pale laundry detergent musk, an abrasive – if mercifully mild – woody amber, and a whiff of aquatic aromachemicals. (Must be the “sea breeze.”) UR’s contents combine to faithfully imitate the olfactory experience of washing your hair with the complimentary shampoo at a Motel 6. Superfluous – except perhaps as a last-minute contender for the title of “Worst Thing I’ve Smelled in 1011.”

24th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 25th December, 2011.)

To sum this up in one word? Yawn.

Ended up with this as part of a promotion, one of three scents I could pick none of which were exactly my cup of tea, otherwise I'd probably have never bought it.

Very generic synthetic citrus/fruity/woody concoction.

It smells very similar to All American Stetson but seems less strong on the upside, and unless you go looking for it at off price stores costs more. About the only difference is that, the stronger All American Stetson just seems to progress slightly differently because its notes are stronger.

I think if you were to compare the two you'd probably agree:

Lemony peachy vs. generic fruity which they claim is Guava - both smell fruity

a tad of some generic spice in the middle vs. something which I think might be nutmeg - both have a tad of spice, placing whatever generic spice note in here is tough due to the fact its not very strong.

generic woods with a pinch of something sweet and fruity (same type of woodsy note I get out of Bang) vs. generic woods and a tad of musk.

Overall they smell very similar.

Longevity is fair at best, could go all the way down to poor. I put on a LOT to try and make it through a long workday. It made it through the day, but you could wear half as much of some other stuff and get the same result.

This is one you could wear to freshen up, no one is going to be able to tell it apart from anything else by name. Not a compliment or a word from anyone on this. Upside is outside of a department store its pretty cheap, no great loss of funds. All American Stetson will do the same thing for less though.

9th November, 2011.

Projection: 4/10
Longevity: 3/10
Versatility: 9/10
Smell: 9/10
Overall: 6/10

6th November, 2011.

My first cologne. A generic smelling fresh scent. It's not a bad smell, but it's not terrible either. You've probably smelled this or something like it a hundred times already and didn't think twice.

I got a 3.4oz for $20 (not on sale, just regular price), so I was fully expecting cheap and generic. I get about 2 hours on my skin. Projection is average at best. The top certainly has a citrus edge to it that cuts through the other notes. It could certainly be harsh to some people. The drydown is a bit sweeter (fruity), musky, and woody. The bottle is very nice. It's a matte silver finish on a heavy metal flask. The cap is cool too.

I could see three persons/scenarios for which this cologne would be useful:

1) Short-term use. If you've run out of your regular scent and have nothing else or if you just need a decent scent to run out and do errands for a few hours, this would be good to have around. It's inoffensive, it's cheap, and no one other than you will care if you wear this for a few hours.

2) Introductory frag (like me). Someone is trying to get into colognes, and would like something cheap to get their feet wet with: this could be it. There are alternatives out there. You could do better than UR, but you could also do worse. The bottle is also fairly impressive as far as first colognes go. At least it's not just blue glass a la Cool Water.

3) Everyday wear for a young teen. He can keep the good stuff tucked away for special occasions and use this for casual wear. It's nothing fancy. It's inexpensive. And it's inoffensive. Good for class or for hanging out with friends. He can go through a bunch of bottles without breaking the bank.

7th August, 2011.

Another lame fruity fresh scent to round out the first decade of the 2000s. I agree with SirSlarty on the bitter grapefruit opening. Doesn't last, doesn't impress.

In fact, now that I think of it, this smells like Adidas Moves! More chemical and fruity, but there you go.

If you like this, save your money for Adidas Moves instead.

18th December, 2010.

UR is an exact copy of half of what you find on mall department store glass counters: Kenneth Cole Black, L'Homme, etc. It is the fruity/woody/citrus mess designers have decided we as men merit for shopping on foot. Honestly it is not terrible, but the cheapest things smell better by a mile: Aramis, Brut, English Leather, Halston Z-14. Additionally, all of these are available in your local Walgreens or CVS (in U.S.). Try harder, men!

16th December, 2010.